Creative Writing
The Bachelor of Arts degree in Creative Writing is an innovative program bringing together professional writers, writing specialists, and peer writers. This program is designed to prepare students for careers and/or graduate studies in creative writing and related fields.
This program is set up to first teach the academic skills necessary in a scholarly pursuit of creative writing and then move into a more individualized program where students are able to focus a great deal of honing their writing skills in the discipline of their choosing.
This process is accomplished through the 100- and 200-level courses which introduce students to the various genres and the skills necessary to work within the different writing disciplines. Students will also analyze other writers, thus deepening their understanding of creative writing as both an art form and an effective means of communication. They will then move into a series of 300- and 400-level courses which will focus on their own individual skills as writers. Students will work extensively in one or two genres during these final years of undergraduate study and develop the skills necessary to meet their career and educational goals. Students will grow these skills through weekly workshops where they will create their own work, share their writing with others, and provide their peers written and verbal feedback. This process allows students to both be self-directed and stay structured and disciplined through the process. Our goal is to help students find, refine, and strengthen their own unique voices.
Learning takes many forms and is not limited to just classroom experiences. Our philosophy is to assist students in discovering what they feel they are meant to write and to help each student be the best writer he or she can be, as well as teach students the specific expectations that shape the various genres of creative writing.
Creative Writing Major Portfolio Requirement
For each Creative Writing course, students will compile a portfolio of the work completed. As students move through their educational career, they will take the best of those portfolios to compile into a final graduate portfolio. This compilation should serve to demonstrate their proficiency in creative writing and exemplify the skills mastered during their years at Southern Vermont College. This portfolio should also meet their career needs, whether they are headed to graduate school or directly into the job market. Creative Writing faculty will guide students through the process of portfolio construction both for the individual courses and with an eye on the student's ultimate educational and career goals.
Our students have worked with the following writers:
- Janet Fitch: #1 Best-selling Novel, White Oleander
- Joe Cardillo: NPL Best Book 1997 Author of Pulse
- Jamie Callan: Best-selling Novel, Author/Screenwriter of Over the Hill at Fourteen
- Lyn Lifshin: Poet/Writer
- Elaine McHenry: Poet/Writer
- Roberta Obermayer: Poet/Writer
- Nancy Thompson: Writer
- Mark Nepo: Poet/Writer
- Baron Wormser: Poet Laureate, State of Maine
| Program of Study | Requirements | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| General Core Requirements | 45 | |
| Creative Writing Major |
One of the following:
Three of the following:
Capstone Experience: Cw492 Senior Seminar/Thesis Two Cw and/or En electives (200-400 level) (at least ONE of these must be at 300-400 level) |
36 |
| Minor (optional) | 18 | |
| General Electives | 21 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |
